JP 52/103392 discloses and claims a catalyst for fluorinating a halogenated hydrocarbon which is obtained by mixing tantalum (V) halide with an antimony halide catalyst which consists of antimony (V) halide or a mixture consisting of said antimony halide and antimony (III) halide. If the resulting fluorination catalyst is used, the fluorination of a halogenated hydrocarbon can be accelerated more effectively than in a case when an unmodified antimony halide catalyst is used, and the production rate of the objective fluorinated compound per unit catalyst (weight) can be maximized. The patent clearly shows in Comparative Example 2 that tantalum pentachloride alone is ineffective as a fluorine exchange catalyst for the conversion of 1,1,1,2-tetrachlorodifluoroethane to 1,1,2-trichlorotrifluoroethane.
The need for environmentally suitable fluorocarbons for use as refrigerants, blowing agents and solvents has grown and spurred investigation of economically attractive routes to their production. The fluorinated alkanes produced by the process of this invention are useful as refrigerants, blowing agents or solvents per se or can be utilized as intermediates for the production of other halogenated alkanes which fill the same needs.